The Embodiment of Innocence
by Ryoko Ishida
Summary: Allen Walker, an Exorcist, meets a strange girl with white and green hair on his way to the Exorcist Headquarters: The Black Order. When attacked by an Akuma, the girl was supposed to die, but instead stayed alive. Who is this girl and what type of Exorcist IS she! And why the heck does she know Lavi? Starts from episode 1 of the anime. (On Hiatus)
1. Chapter 1

A train whistle blows as the train slows down at the station, coming to a halt. As the doors open and people flood out of the train, a boy with white hair and a red tattoo wearing a green headband, jeans, and an orange coat, walks out, looking around the station with a smile on his face. He walks out of the station into the dark night in London, England. He hitches a ride on a coach where a couple performers are, and sits on the back.

"Timcanpy? Timcanpy!" A small, gold golem with two long wings and a long tail flies up to the boy and lands on its head, folding its wings. "Oh. You should be careful when you fly. One of those cats'll eat ya." He said, looking up at the golem. As he spoke, the curtains behind him opened, and he was handed some food. "Hm?" He looked up and saw two performers, one wearing a bunny mask, and the other dressed as a clown.

"Looks like you could use some food!" The clown sad, smiling down at him. He smiled back and took the food.

"Oh wow. Thank you!" He said.

The bunny pushed to clown and leaned forward slightly. "Oh! Are you on a trip?" she asked.

"No ma'am, I'm just on my way to an important place." He looked down at the bread, before looking back up at her and smiling. "I'm going to the Exorcist Headquarters."

—

A police officer stood in front of an abandoned church, the wind blowing her hair off to the side. The church was run-down, and parts all around were cracked or crumbled. The windows were smashed or cracked.

"So have you heard? Apparently a lot of people disappeared in there." A girl said, talking to a boy as they walked right passed the church and officer.

"Well, since it was abandoned, travelers without money would sleep in there before the morning train came. But they never make it through the night." The boy replies. "Only the clothes remain."

"Then it's gotta be cursed right?" The girl asks. "Remember what happened there two years ago?" The couple walks off.

The officer stares for one more moment before looking forward and walking toward the church, only to be interrupted by a whimper from her co-worker.

"C-Come on, Moa…" The other officer asked, his hands clasping the church gate. "You're not really going in there—"

She cut him off, stopping and turning her head to him. "We've been flooded with numerous complaints about this place. Innocent people have been disappearing in here."

"How many times do I have to tell you?! This building's cursed!" The policeman said, gripping the gate tightly. She looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Listen, Charles, we're going in there no matter what." She turned back toward the church and put her hat on. "This curse talk is rumor for the civilians, not the police. Now stop being a baby and let's go." She walked into the building, the doors screeching as she pushed the doors open. Charles took a deep breath before walking in after her. They looked around, though it was hard since it darkness covered almost every inch.

"It looks like a tornado came through here…" Charles observed, frowning as he looked around.

"I can't believe anyone would chose to spend the night in such filth…" Moa added, disgusted at all the rubble. She stopped short when she heard a yell from Charles, and she immediately turned around. "What?!"

Charles yelled again, backing against the wall in fear. "S-something's touching my f-foot!" He exclaimed. Moa walked over and bent down to see a white and brown-striped cat, and sighed before picking the feline up.

"It's just a cat." She looked at the cat before looking up as she heard a strange noise. Her eyes widened as hundreds of bats shot down from the ceiling and flew around. Charles yelled and Moa quickly ran, seeing something in the shadows. She screamed as something grabbed her arm and she was taken away. Charles landed on the ground as the bats disappeared. He took a couple breaths then looked around.

"Is everything alright, Moa?" No answer, so he slowly stood and looked around. "Moa?"

—

Moa heard a door slam as the screeching of the bats dissipated, and she was slammed into a chair. "I gotcha." Moa coughed hard a couple times and the arm on her shoulder loosened in surprise. "Huh? Who're you?" The voice asked. "What are you doing in this place?" Before the captor could move, she cuffed the hand that grabbed her. "Huh?"

"You just made a big mistake…" She said. The boy sweatdropped.

"You're a cop?!" He yelped.

"That's right, and you're under arrest!" She yelled at him. He quickly raised his hands defensively and waved them.

"I'm really sorry!" He said. "I was just trying to catch that cat! I guess… I got a little carried away and grabbed you as well!" Moa glared at him for a moment before her eyes widened and she gasped. The light out the window illuminated her captor's face, showing the face of a young boy. "It's okay." He said, a smile on his lips. "Believe me, I'm one of the good guys."

—

"I honestly had no idea this place had such a stigma surrounding it." The boy said honestly. He smiled nervously as he pulled lightly on his rope-bound hands that were attached to the window. He was sitting in the seat Moa was in just a moment ago. "Heck I just got into town a few hours ago on the train and then I ran into this annoying little cat…" He trailed off for a moment as he glared at the feline sitting next to him. "The fur ball ate something important of mine so I chased him." He smiled widely at Moa. "Next thing I knew I was in here."

Moan hummed unbelievingly.

"You think I'm making this up?! Master said it was my responsibility now and that he'd have my head if I lost it!" He exclaimed, sweating.

"Really?" She said, arms crossed. "May I speak to this master?"

He looked down, a depressing aura surrounding him. "Eh… s-sorry… He went missing in India a few weeks ago…" He sighed and the cat jumped onto the arm of the chair and they looked at each other. "This is all your fault." The cat smirked.

Moa sighed with a sad smile. _He is just a kid…_ She raised a hand and took a step back. "Just hold on a sec. I'll have to go get my partner. I'll be back soon." The cat's ears twitched and it turned away, meowing. Allen looked at it confused, before a loud yell was heard throughout the church, making more bats scatter. The boy and Moa turned toward the door before the church rumbled.

"What was that?!" She exclaimed before running the the door and opening it. "Don't you go anywhere!" She told the boy, before running out with the door shut behind her. She ran quickly down the stairs until she reached the bottom and looked around. "Hello—?!" Her eyes widened and she froze at what she saw.

Charles was pinned to a post, his right shoulder steaming, and his clothes ragged and torn. His mouth was wide open as he choked, and his right cheek had a black star on it.

"No…Charles…" Moa spoke, shocked by what she saw. More black stars engulfed Charles' body until his skin was completely black. He stopped moving and breathing, before his body turned to dust and hit the floor… leaving only clothes. "My god… the rumor…could it really be true…?" She started walking toward Charles' clothes when she started coughing and held her throat, looking down in shock. "W-what the? I can't breathe…?" She felt a rag being pressed against her mouth and once and leaned back in shock.

"Breathe easy." She turned her head and saw the boy. "This gas is very poisonous." He looked forward worriedly. "This is the work of an Akuma." Before she could ask, Moa felt her eyelids get heavy, and she closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

—

Moa's eyes shot open as she felt herself shaking. _Huh? What's going on?_

"Miss Moa?" She looked over and saw a twelve-year old girl with long silver hair in a thick high ponytail, two strands hanging loose in front of her and her green bangs sideswept. The girl smiled when she woke up and ran to the officer by the desk and pulled his sleeve. "Miss Moa's awake!"

The officer smiled and ruffled her hair. "Ah yes, thank you Neru. Why don't you go play over there?" The officer pointed in another direction. Neru frowned annoyingly for a moment before she nodded and ran off. Moa sat up, rubbing her forehead. "Now, it's about time, Moa."

"Ow my head…" She said. "Where am I?"

"At the station." The officer said as he grabbed her hand and hoisted her up to her feet. He dragged her to a door and knocked. "Captain! Moa's awake and ready for questioning!" They heard a muffled "Get her in here" and he opened the door.

Moa was brought in as she put on her glasses and she looked directly at the boy she saw earlier. "That kid! Captain I—!"

"We know." The officer next to her interrupted.

"We're questioning the main suspect right now." The Captain said.

Moa blinked and her glasses tinted slightly. "Huh? Oh…"

"So your name is Allen Walker." The Captain said, reading off a piece of paper. Allen nodded with a nervous smile. The Captain slammed his hand down on the table. "ADMIT IT YOU MURDERED HIM!" He yelled at Allen, who backed away while gripping the cat in his arms.

"Wah! I told you I'm innocent!" He protested. "What proof do you have that I did it? All I did was save one of your officers before she succumbed to the gas."

"A witness put you at the scene of the crime. Why were you there?" The Captain asked. He stopped short for a second before grabbing the boy's left wrist and holding it up. It was completely red and the nails were black and part of it was covered with a partial glove. "Look at your hand! It's all covered in blood!"

"No it's not! That's its natural color!" Allen argued as he pulled his hand away, undoing the velcro to the glove and revealing a glowing green cross in the center of the back of his hand. The officers gasped and the Captain took a step back.

"W-what the hell is that? It's glowing green!" He pointed at it in astonishment. He pointed at Allen. "It's not looking good for you right now, son! I can only imagine your parents are very disappointed." He sat back down. Moa thought for a moment before walking up to him and leaning over his ear.

"Excuse me, sir?" He looked over and she smiled and stood straight. She walked over to Allen and put her hands on his shoulders. "Mr. Walker was with me the entire time before Charles was killed."

"WHAT?!"

The other officer whispered in his ear. "Uh Captain, I just got work from the crime scene investigators that a number of large cannon bullet holes were found in the wall. According to the boy, all he had on him was a cat and a suitcase. Nothing to suggest he had any kind of cannon, much less where he would hide one. The kid's clean." The Captain slammed his hand on the desk and growled.

"Why didn't you pursuit!?" He yelled at Moa. "Explain yourself, Moa!"

She looked down sadly. "I'm… sorry I failed you, sir.."

"I can't believe you didn't get the killers face when you were right there…" The Captain leaned back in his chair.

"Uh… I think I know who you're looking for." Allen raised his red hand, and they all looked at him. "Although I didn't actually see it with my own eyes, I know who did it." He said darkly, a grin on his face. "I can help you catch him if you'll allow me. Your suspect is what's called an Akuma. They're common, and they're very deadly to humans. It will keep killing until we stop it. And it's important that you make the first strike before it becomes too strong."

"Akuma?" Moa asked.

Unknowingly, the little girl had her ear to the door the entire time as she listened, her face scrunched up in thought. "…Akuma?"

Allen showed the cross once again to the others. "This is an Anti-Akuma weapon… Now is anyone familiar with Exorcists? Don't worry, I'm a clergyman whose sole mission is to hunt Akuma." He explained, his left eye turning red for a brief moment.

The Captain crossed his arms and mocked him. "Oh Exorcist? What a load of crap. Ugh…" He stood up. "Yup, you're free to leave. Now get out of my sight! I'm heading back to my office." He suddenly turned to Moa, and pointed at her. "Officer Moa! Mr. Walker is not to leave your sight, you got that!?"

Allen and Moa looked at him, all color drained from them.

Neru smirked before running off.

—

A man sighed, blowing out black smoke as he sat in his wheelchair. Behind him, a creature wearing a tan coat with a long, evil grin, holding an umbrella, stood. "My precious little Akuma, You must take innocent life to continue evolving." The creature laughed before being cut short by a call from downstairs. The creature snickered before disappearing.

"Mark! I'm home!" Moa opened the door.

"Welcome home, Moa…" Mark deadpanned. "You've come home early today what's the occasion?"

She closed the door. "Didn't Neru get you food?"

"Yes. On the table."

She sighed. "Look Mark, you're not eating anything at all these days. How do you expect to have any strength?" She walked up to the food.

"I just haven't had an appetite…" He deadpanned, and she looked at him and sighed. "It's fine. Don't worry, I'll be hungry again soon…" His face lowered. She knelt down in front of him.

"Whatever you do, don't stop fighting. My sister would want it that way." The two jumped and looked toard the door as there was a loud crash.

"Hey easy with the claws already!" Moa quickly ran down the stairs and stared at Allen who was hunched over, holding the cat.

"Real nice… Let me guess, you were gonna try to get to the crime scene."

He smiled nervously. "Just for a second…"

"Absolutely not!" She yelled.

"Miss Moa?" Moa blinked before looking to the hall next to them and saw Neru in a white nightgown, her hair down loosely and messily rubbing her right eye tiredly. Moa smiled softly and walked over to her before kneeling down to her height.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you? I didn't mean to—" She was cut off by Neru pointing to Allen.

"I heard crashing… I came down and heard you yell." She tilted her head. "Is this the murderer?"

"Huh? Oh no, I'm not the—" He was cut off when Neru swiftly ran up to him and kicked him right between the legs, making his eyes water. He bit his lip to keep from screaming.

"Neru!" Moa yelled as she took the girl by the shoulders. She explained what happened at the church and that, in fact, Allen was innocent. After the talk, Neru apologized and looked closely at Allen, noting his strange features before smiling.

"Hello, Mister Allen!" she bowed politely. "My name is Neru!" Allen smiled and extended a hand and they shook.

"Hello Neru. It's nice to meet you." He lowered his hand before she took it again and looked at it. "Something wrong?"

"Mister Allen, why is your hand red?" She asked innocently. Allen smiled.

"This is an Anti-Akuma weapon. I use it to fight Akuma that harm humans."

"So that's Innocence!" She smiled, and Allen looked confused. "I eavesdropped on you while you were interrogated!" Allen sweatdropped as Moa scolded Neru and Neru argued with her. After a while, Neru stomped away. Moa sighed and turned to Alllen.

"I'm sorry… She's just such a troublemaker…"

"It's fine." He smiled. "So, is she your daughter?" Moa shook her head. "Thought so. She doesn't look like you. Why does she live here then? Where are her parents?"

Moa smiled sadly and looked down. "I don't know… Well, I guess I kind of have an idea now."

"What do you mean?" Allen asked, an eyebrow raised.

"You see not much is really known about Neru. Most of what she rambles on about is a load of crap to most people, but now…." She sighed before looking at Allen. "She always talks about the weird "fat guy" who talked her mother into reviving her father. She never said much else because most would either cut her off, scold her, or just drown her out. She's not really fond of anyone…"

Allens eyes grew wide before narrowing. "But she acted so nice to you up until when she kicked me."

"Because she was told by the Captain that if she didn't behave, she would be kicked out of the Police Station. She's grown really attached to me in some respect, because I'm her only family right now. However, if she gets riled up, "

Allen looked down in thought. "I see…" He looked up at her. "Let me see her."

"Talk to her tomorrow. She hates when people wake her up." Moa warns him.

—

Allen walked unto a window in one of the rooms, the cat wrapped around his shoulders. He looked down, placing a hand on his chin in thought. _I'm so close… I just hope I can find this monster before it's too late. And that girl, Neru… That "Fat guy" she mentioned was most likely _Him_. And the fact about her mother reviving her father… there can only be one answer…_

"So tell me, Allen how confident are you that the killer is an actual Akuma?" Moa interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to her.

"Huh?"

Moa looked down at the book in front of her. "This encyclopedia says Akuma are imaginary demons that were created by ancient civilizations to illness and natural disasters." She looked up at him. "You're telling me _that's_ our killer? Some imaginary demon? I'm not buying it!"

Allen closed his eyes and sighed. "The encyclopedia is talking about something entirely different to what I'm looking for. Akuma's also the name of a weapon."

—

Inside a bedroom, Neru instantly woke, her abnormally-green eyes shooting open wide, both of them dilating until they turned red while the white turned black. "That feeling again…" She wrapped her arms around herself and she slowly stood when she heard a knock on her door. "C-come in…" She closed her eyes, begging the feeling to go away.

"Neru." Her eyes opened to see Mark. She blinked in confusion.

"Mister Mark? Is something wrong?" He shook his head.

"Your eyes are different again." He deadpanned. A cold sweat began, and Neru's eyes widened. "You can't hide it forever. You need to tell Moa."

"B-but if I do, she'll make me leave… call me a freak…" She wrapped her arms around her knees and held them close. "I don't want to be homeless again…"

"Come. I promise you won't ever feel lonely again." She looked at Mark, and smiled faintly before nodding.

"O-okay. Will you come with me?" She asked, getting out of bed and walking over and gripping one of his hands. He nodded, and together they went and stood in front of the door. "Mister Mark, I'm scared…" She said, whimpering slightly. _I need to be strong… like always… but this feeling… I hate this feeling… And it's stronger… Why?_

—

"Weapons that are specifically created to target mankind are the Akuma I'm concerned with finding. They take on the form of humans so they're very hard to find." Allen continued explaining. Before he could continue, the doors burst open, showing Mark, and Neru, whose eyes were averted.

"Huh?" Moa turned to them. Allen gasped and his eyes widened. Moa bent down to them. "Neru, what's wrong?" Neru didn't look her way. "Neru, look at me!" Neru flinched at her tone, before looking at her. Allen went rigid and Moa stood shocked when they stared at her eyes. "N-Neru?" Moa took a step back. Neru frowned sadly and looked down, getting lost in her own thoughts. "W-what the hell are you?!" Moa accused, making tears form in Neru's eyes. Neru stood frozen, finding the floorboards very interesting. Allen took a step forward when Mark's head whipped up and he yelled out in agony. "Mark, are you okay?!" Moa turned to Mark and knelt down to look at his face. "What's wrong?"

Allen's left eye suddenly dilated and turned black with three bright red rings as the eye. He saw a skeleton, or spirit, in chains attached to mark. The skeleton was wearing… a dress? Mark slowly lifted his head as he yelled out again. This time, his entire body turned into a large sphere with cannons protruding out of it, a face in the middle of it. Moa sat in shocked silence as she watched all this in front of her. Allen's eyes widened and he took another step toward Neru when cannons turned and shot at Moa. "MOA!" Allen quickly grabbed Moa and the cat in one arm, and the bullet in his red hand. The bullet's speed caused them to go shooting into the church next to them. "Ngh… Moa, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

"W-where are we?" Moa asked, looking around.

"We're back at the church." He breathed out heavily. Moa turned and looked at the bullet in his hand.

"What's that?" She asked, reaching for it. Allen quickly pulled it away. "Don't tell me you actually caught the bullet…"

"Don't touch it. This came from an Akuma. Each bullet is filled with an extremely destructive virus. They use a defense system where they transform their bodies into guns, making them highly effective killers." He put the bullet down, then looked down at the cat in his lap as black stars spread across its body. "After it hits you, it takes less than a minute for the virus to eat away your insides." The cat turned pitch black before shattering. "I couldn't save you, kitty… I'm sorry."

"So then… tell me what happened to Mark."

"Well, Akuma take over a dead person's body to blend in with society. That wasn't your brother, Moa. An Akuma had already killed him and takes over his corpse."

"So… you mean that Mark… is dead?" Allen quickly grabbed her and pulled her into the shadows as the Akuma broke through the wall with its cannons. They heard footsteps, and turned just in time to see the Captain and the rest of the police… before they were killed by the Akuma's cannons. "Captain…? Oh my god…" Tears welled up inside Moa's eyes. She looked up at the Akuma. "You monster! Why did you have to kill them?!" She screamed. "Tell me!"

"It can't hear you. Look, it's not doing it because it wants to." Allen turned toward it. "It's programmed to evolve by killing innocent people."

"So you're just a mindless killing machine?!" Moa pointed to the creature in disbelief.

Allen shook his head. "No… They're souls that are forced to kill… They're controlled by their maker, and are conscious to what they do, though they can't do anything about it. This soul… it's a woman… in a wedding dress?" He said, his left eye activated. "She seems very attached to Mark."

Moa's eyes widened. "My sister, Claire!" Allen turned to her. "She and Mark were supposed to get married… But on the day they were married, the chandelier above them broke. Claire pushed Mark out of the way and she was crushed. That… that monster… it can't be! It can't be my sister!" Allen frowned at her then looked up at the Akuma. His eyes widened.

"What?" Allen watched as the Akuma slowly turned to its left and pointed its cannons. Allen followed its line of sight, and froze. Neru lay there on her stomach, looking up weakly at the Akuma. She was shaking, though none could see it. Her fists were clenched tightly, her eyes wide in shock. "NERU! GET OUT OF THERE!" Allen yelled desperately. Neru looked at him and he froze. The look in her eyes told him exactly what he didn't want to know… She couldn't move. When the Akuma blasted the house and Allen and Moa went to the church, she was still next to the Akuma. When it fired again at the church, it had actually fired at _her_, and she went through the church wall.

—

"_Mister Allen! Miss Moa!" Neru screamed, eyes wide as she watched the two shoot out toward the church. She kept a firm grip on the wheelchair's arm, then let go once the wind from the blast died down. She turned toward the Akuma with wide, frightened eyes, both of them still activated. Her eyes widened even more when she saw something with chains above it. "W-w-what's going on…? This feeling… The feeling that I've been getting… this whole time, it was this thing?!"_

_She took a couple steps back, not taking her eyes of of it as it slowly turned toward her. "S-stay away from me! Leave me alone!" She took another step, and the cannon fired at her. She quickly jumped and rolled to the side as another section blew to pieces. She looked at the Akuma before running again through the door and through the hallway, just missing another bullet._

_She ran to the street, making a sharp turn. She felt something hit her for just before the ground under her exploded from a bullet, and she was propelled forward. Neru rolled multiple times, before finally stopping near the church. She slowly stood. Her knees were bloody and her arms were scraped. She looked back to see the Akuma floating toward her. She slowly rose to one foot, and tried to stand on the other when it failed, and she fell back down. "W-what?!" She looked back to see a star on her ankle, a couple more forming. She looked up again as the Akuma stood above her. She screamed and moves her hands up. her hand hit the Akuma, and it reeled back like her hand was fire. She took this moment to try and crawl away. That was when she heard another boom, a loud crack, a couple smashes, and finally nothing…_

—

Allen and Neru stare at each other before Allen looks at Moa who started standing. "Neru!" She took a couple steps toward her before Allen grabbed her arm, keeping her there. "What are you doing, Allen?! We need to help her!"

"If you touch her, you'll die! Stay here and don't move!" He ordered before running toward Neru. The little girl stared at him as the Akuma's cannon's started glowing, her eyes glassy.

"…Help… me…" Allen's eyes widened and he stretched out his arm toward her as the cannons fired, hitting their mark and covering the area around Neru in smoke. Allen stood there, frozen, before being snapped out of it by Moa's screaming in horror. His eyes narrowed in anger and his left arm glowed green.

"Sacred cross that dwells within me… Give me the power to destroy this evil darkness!" He swiped his arm, and revealed a silver claw-like arm two times the size of his regular arm. "Bring salvation to this tormented Akuma's soul!" The Akuma roars and points its guns at Allen. Allen jumped up and wraps his claw around its body. "I'm sorry, but your suffering will end soon. May you rest in peace…" He slices through the body, effectively killing it. A loud screech is heard as the skeleton in the wedding dress turns into a beautiful woman before disappearing along with the Akuma. Allen's arm returned to normal and he looked down sadly for a moment then turned to look at Moa. She had tears in her eyes and down her cheeks, looking at where Neru was, the smoke slowly starting to clear. Allen walked over to Moan and kneeled down to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Moa…"

"I-I should have tried to… to…" Moa cried harder, and Allen put a hand on her shoulder.

"You wouldn't have gotten to her in time. You both would have died." Allen looked down. "Please, don't beat yourself over this. I—" He stopped short when he saw a light through the smoke. "What the..?" His trailing off caught the attention of the crying woman beside him and she looked up and froze.

"What is that…?" As the smoke cleared, it revealed a large green, glass-like sphere. Allen quickly stands and turns to it in shock, getting ready to activate its innocence. His eyes narrow as he tries to see through the smoke. His eyes widen slightly slowly and he walks toward it. "A-Allen!" Moa reaches out to him but he ignores her. He keeps walking forward, then slowly comes to a stop in front of the smoke. He looks closer as the smoke finally clears.

"No way…" Allen says, shocked.

The sphere surrounds an unconscious Neru, unharmed and unconscious. Her green hair is glowing like the sphere surrounding her. Allen kneeled down next to the shield and put his left hand on it. The cross on his hand glowed brightly and his eyes narrowed. "Is this… Innocence?" His hand moved away as the shield disappeared and Neru's hair stopped glowing. _I never thought she would have Innocence…_ He picked her up bridal style and turned to Moa, who had calmed down and walked up to them. "Come on. Let's go back to the station."

—

"N-ngh…" Neru raised her aching hand and rubbed one of her eyes. She opened the other and winced at the light in the room. "W-where am I?" She tried to sit up when she feels a hand on her shoulder.

"Lay down, Neru. You're hurt." She looked over to see Moa.

"Miss Moa…?" she asked. "W-what's going on? Where's Mister Allen and…" she trailed off before shooting upward. "That thing! Where is it?! What happened?!"

"Calm down, Neru!" Moa ordered, holding her shoulders. "Allen's in the cafeteria getting lunch. He'll be back shortly. The monster's gone as well." she smiled, and Neru calmed down and took a deep breath.

"Miss Moa?"

"Hm?"

"I—" "I'm back!" Allen interrupted her as he walked in, holding five sandwiches. "I got lunch!" He grinned widely and handed Moa and Neru each one sandwich before sitting in a chair next to Neru and dug into one of his sandwiches. Neru watched them eat, then looked down at her sandwich for a moment before eating as well. "Hey Neru." She looked at him. "You know about Exorcists, right?" She nodded.

"Mhm… I read about them last night… I thought they were very interesting. Why?"

"Then you should know about Innocence." She nodded again.

"I've just never seen it. Well, until you came."

"Tell me, do you know if you have Innocence?" Neru paused for a few moments, looking at her half eaten sandwich in thought, before turning back to him.

"I don't think so… Though I could have sworn that I was hit by the cannon… right?" she asked, unsure.

"Neru." she looked at him. "I think you should come with me to the Exorcist Headquarters." Her eyes widened and she quickly shook her head and hands.

"N-no no no no no! I'm not an Exorcist! I'm not even a teenager! I mean sure, it'd be cool to be one, but I don't really have it in me, and—"

"Don't worry, I'm headed there myself. I'm not a true Exorcist yet. My Master trained me, though. His name's Cross."

"Cross?"

Allen sweatdropped. "He's a demon…" Neru 'eep'd' and shrunk slightly. Allen's grin returned. "But anyway, you should come with me. It's clear to me you're not a normal human. You might be useful to Exorcists!"

Neru looked at him for a moment then frowned, looking at Moa. "But… Miss Moa will be lonely…"

"I'll be fine, Neru." Moa smiled, reassuring Neru. Neru looked at her, unsure, then at Allen, who grinned wider.

After a few minutes, Neru smiled. "Alright!" She then grinned evilly. "That means you're my caretaker, so you have to buy me all the food and things I want or I'll stomp you into the ground!" Allen yelped, anime tears spilling out of his eyes in fright. Moa smirked. as she finished her sandwich.

"Have fun, Allen."

"I'm thinking this is going to be harder than I thought…" Allen deadpanned, then looked down to see his other two sandwiches gone. "Wha—?!" He looked over to see Neru smiling contently as she devoured his sandwiches. Allen cried.


	2. Chapter 2

Multiple black golems fly through the air around the steep mountainside. The clouds cover the gray-colored sky, the only color being the little light that makes it through. On the side of the steep-as-heck cliff, Allen hands there, doing his best to climb the mountain. Next to him, and attached to him via rope around the waist, is Neru, whose eyes are shut tight in fear.

"I-I hate h-h-heights…" She says, gripping the mountain for dear life. Allen frown at her, then looks up.

"Who… who in their right mind would build a headquarters in a place like this…?" Allen asks.

"P-p-people w-who hate m-me…" Neru stutters, earning a raised eyebrow from Allen. He sighs and starts climbing again, as well as Neru. "A-a-are we th-there yet?"

"Ngh… Almost!" He reaches up, grabbing ahold of the top of the mountain. "Alright, give me your hand." He looks down at her and reacher out. She gratefully takes it, and he throws her up. "There…" He says as he climbs onto the top and sits down, exhausted.

"Owie… That hurt…" Neru whined, rubbing her back where she landed.

"A lot better than falling, I'd think." Allen grinned, earning a slight glare from her. He sighed then smiled as he looked up at the large castle-like building with a large tower in front of them. "We finally made it… Exorcist Headquarters."

"The Black Order…" Neru whispered, slowly standing up and staring at it in amazement. "It's huge…"

"And creepy…" Allen said, eyes wide in slight fear. "I've heard of this place before, but this is just spooky…" Allen looked around warily.

Neru rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Mister Allen." she said, turning to him and placing her hands on her hips. "Don't be such a big baby! It's not that scary. Be a man!"

"Like how you were a man when we were climbing? Ir should I say when I was climbing?" Allen glared at her, earning himself a kick in the shin. "Augh!" He winced, then stood, taking off his backpack and undoing the rope. He lowered his sleeves and looked at the building. "Well let's go." Neru nodded, Timcanpy resting on her head. The wind blows their hair as they start walking. "Well, here goes nothing." They continue toward the Black Order, unaware of the black golem behind them, watching them with its eye glowing red.

—

Inside the Order, a girl with dark green hair in pigtails watches the two strangers on screen through the eye of the golem. "Hm…" She was searing a blueish-black and white long sleeved shirt, miniskirt, and shoes with blueish-black knee socks.

"Who're the kids?" She like to the side for a moment at the scientists, the one talking being a blonde, spiky-haired guy, before turning back to the screen.

"Not sure," another scientist shrugged, "But they did make it up the cliff."

"They're walking to the door…" A third one chimed in, his face covered in bandages. Then they heard footsteps. The scientists gathered turned toward a man with shoulder-length dark blue hair wearing glasses and a white uniform and a white barrette (probably butchered that). He looked at the screen and sipped his drink.

"Who's that on the screen? Why are there kids out there?" He fixed his glasses. "You know we don't tolerate outsiders. Someone go out there and push the kid off." The girl glared at him and the blonde scientist looked up at him.

"I don't think that'd be a good idea. Judging from the look of him I'd seriously doubt he'd just let himself get pushed off. And that girl next to him looks too young for that harsh a punishment."

"Hey brother, check this out." The pigtailed girl said, pointing to the golden golem on top of the little girl's head. "Look at its marking. That's General Cross's golem. See?"

"_Hello? Anyone home?!" _The blue haired man raised an eyebrow and fixed his glasses as the camera picked up the boy's yelling. They were at the gate. _"My name's Allen Walker. I was told to come here by General Cross Marian! I'm here with Neru. We're here to request a meeting with an Executive of the Order!"_

"_I don't think they can hear you…" _The girl said, her arms crossed. The boy looked down at her.

"_Well i this doesn't work, we'll try a different tactic."_

"General Cross's apprentice?" A scientist asked.

"I thought the General was dead…" Another stated.

"Uh… the kid said they ere here on referral. At least the boy. He didn't mention about the girl. Just her name." The blonde scientist told the blue haired man. "Know anything about that Chief Komui?" Komui took a long sip from his pink bunny mug, stayed silent for a moment, before answering.

"Afraid not."

The scientist sighed and looked at the screen. "Well… Have the Gate keeper do a physical exam."

—

Allen looked around for a minute before ge looked at Neru, who was tugging his shoulder. "Mister Allen?" She pointed at the Gate Keeper's face. Allen smiled and turned to him.

"Hello there." He smiled.

The Gate Keeper suddenly shot out and stared closely at the two, and they jumped back and froze, all color drained from them. "Prepare for an X-Ray exam to determine whether you are human or Akuma!" Its eyes glowed bright yellow before shining on the children in front of them. He looked at Neru first, and turned confused. "What's wrong with this thing…? I can't get a reading… It's like you're not even human!" After a while he gave up, deciding to let Komui and the scientists deal with it, and turned to Allen. He analyzed him for a good three minutes. He saw the red star on Allen's forehead and it's eyes turned to crosses. "HE'S GOT THE MARK OF THE MILLENNIUM EARL! HE'S COME TO KILL US!" The Gate Keeper shouted.

—

The people watching jumped bak and screamed in shock and fear, their eyes wide.

"Hey? Don't we have an Exorcist here?!" The blonde one spoke up.

"Kanda's on the move, already."

"That girl, though…" Komui thought, his eyes narrowing.

—

Neru watched as Allen tried to calm down the raging door, before she heard something ruffling through the wind. She looked through the corner of her eye to see a man rushing toward them, sword drawn. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening. She turned quickly to Allen. _No! _"ALLEN!" He stopped and turned just in time to see her get in the way of a sword slash. Her arms spread wide, she stood between the man and Allen. The man had slashed downward, but hit only a green shield.

'Tch…" The man moved the sword then kicked the girl hard into a boulder when the shield went down. She yelped in pain before collapsing. Allen stared at her before turning to the attacker. He transformed his arm just in time to block a sword attack, but his arm got bated in the process.

_What…? He broke my Anti-Akuma weapon… _Allen thought, shocked. He quickly turned to the man. "W-w-wait! This is my Anti-Akuma weapon! I'm a Exorcist like you!" The man froze, before turning and glaring at the Gate Keeper.

"Don't look at me! He has the symbol!"

Allen banged on the Gate Keeper's face. "But I'm human! I can prove it!"

"Enough." The man said, his sword glowing yellow. "The only way to know for sure… is to cut you open! Prepared to be slaughtered." The light got more intense as he added power. "By the mighty Mugen!" He rushed toward Allen at a quick pace.

"W-w-wait! Hold on! Th-th-there should have b-b-been a r-referal letter by M-M-Master Cross h-h-h-himself!" The man's eyes widened and he stopped the blade centimeters away from Allen's face.

"A letter… from the General…"

"Y-yeah! It was addressed to some guy named Komui."

—

Komui dabbed his lips with a handkerchief as everyone stared at him. He stayed silent before turning toward a random scientist. "YOU THERE! FIND THE LETTER!"

"B-but… your office… it'd be impossible…"

"I'I'll give you a hand!" Komui followed after him after getting a death glare from his sister.

—

"Ah crap…" Allen whispered, the sword still inches away.

—

"Nope… that's not it either… No… Nope… Nu-uh… No…"

"O-Oh!" The scientist pulled out the letter. "I found it!"

"READ IT MAN!"

The man cleared his throat. "'Dear Komui, I will be sending a kid named Allen Walker to you. Take care of him. ~Cross'"

"Sounds good to me." Komui shrugged. "Hey Reever, you should stop Kanda. I gotta go refill my coffee." He says, walking away.

—

"Lenalee." Komui stops filling his cup and looks at the pigtailed girl.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Do your brother a favor and help me get ready would you?"

"With what?"

"It looks like we have a few visitors."

—

The gates behind Allen slowly rise. _"Allen Walker! Your access has been granted!"_

Kanda glared at the golem next to him. "Hey Komui, mind filling me in?"

"_Sorry about that. The kid checks out. He's General Cross's Apprentice. Plus, having Timcanpy with him is proof enough. Let him go, Kanda, he's one of us."_

Kanda glared at Allen before being hit with a clipboard. "Kanda, stop. Now both of you get in before I close the gate!" Lenalee ordered.

"Wait! What about Neru?"

Kanda 'tch'd' as he lowered his sword slightly as the ores were given to back down. However, he never got too far as he heard footsteps coming from his left. He looked quickly to see the girl with a few bruises and multiple bandages rushing toward him. He turned to her quickly but got head-butted in the gut, getting the wind knocked out of him. He doubled over slightly, wincing in pain. He looks to see her with her green bangs glowing and her hair slightly raised like it was being blown upward by a breeze. Half of her face was covered in shadow, the non-visible eye bright red. Sje clenched her fist. "Stay. Away. From. Mister. Allen. Pony-tail…" She said coldly. Allen sweatdropped.

Lenalle turned to see her and blinked. _She took Kanda out with a single headbutt? Impressive…_

Neru looked up to Allen and Lenalee before her knees gave out and she collapsed from the injuries. "Neru!" Allen kneeled down next to her and picked her up. "Idiot, you're already hurt enough."

"Come on." Lenalee said, instructing the three inside. "Anyway, My name's Lenalee Lee, I'm the assistant to the Chief." Kanda turned and walked the other way, and Allen looked at him.

"Uh… Hey Kanda?" Kanda glared at him. "Uh… No hard feelings?" Allen asked, smiling hopefully.

"What fool would shake your hand knowing you're cursed?" He said coldly before walking away. Allen twitched nervously.

"Don't worry. He's been on edge since his last assignment." Lenalee smiled.

As they walked toward the medical wing, Neru started to wake up. "Oh Neru! You're awake!" Allen exclaimed. Lenalee stopped to look at the strange girl. "Are you alright?"

"Ngh…" Neru winced and held her head. "My head hurts a lot, but I'm okay…"

"Can you stand?" Allen asked worriedly.

"Mhm." Neru nodded and Allen helped her stand, her legs slightly shakey, but she manages to stand on her own. She looks up to see Lenalee staring at her. "Is something wrong Pigtails?" Lenalee jumped slightly breaking out of her trance. Allen sweatdropped.

"Pigtails?!" Lenalee blinked in confusion, then smiled. "My name is Lenalee. It's nice to meet you." She reached toward Neru who took a step back. Allen frowned and looked at Lenalee.

"Uh… anyway, we should take her to the infirmary."

"I told you I'm fine!" She protested.

"You were just attacked by Kanda after climbing a wall after being attacked and nearly killed by an Akuma." Allen deadpanned.

"But so did you!"

"I didn't get smashed into a boulder." Point taken.

"Fine… But I'll be doing it out of protest… stupid hospitals…"

"It's not a hospital."

"It might as well be!" she mumbled under her breath. Lenalee showed the two to the infirmary and dropped Neru off, then they went to where Komui was in his office.

—

"Ooh! Hello there!" Komui turned around and saluted the two with a smile on his face. I am Komui Lee. Head of the science division." He led them down some stairs. "On behalf of the entire division, I welcome you! And sorry about the trouble earlier. What a pain." The entire division growled and yelled at Komui telling him not to blame them. "Also…" He stopped at the base of the stairs, making Lenalee and Allen stop and look at each other before turning to Komui. He frowned and turned to Allen. "I am sorry about your friend. She is alright, yes?"

"Hm? Oh Neru? Yeah, she's fine. She woke up a while back and we brought her to the infirmary. She's pretty strong."

"Komui brightened up at his statement. "Alright then!"

—

"Now, put your arm under the light."

"Huh?" Alln looked at Komui confused, and he explained.

"I understand you received some damage earlier." He turned to Allen. "You know, when Kanda attacked you unprovoked. You shouldn't have to endure such pain." Allen nodded and set his arm down, which now has a tan line through it, some other lines branching off it. Komui looked at it before nodding. "As expected… it's nerve damage. Lenalee, I need anesthesia." Komui nodded to Lenalee. "For the boy."

"Okay." She nodded and walked off.

"Can you activate it?" He asked. Allen hesitated for a moment, then nodded and activated it. "Hm… interesting." He said, sipping his coffee. "You're a parasite type. The rarest type out there." Komui stood and walked to a table. "Now…" He turned to Allen once more, holding three large tools and a helmet.

"I-I don't want to know what those are for… right?" Allen asked.

Komui's grin widened. "No worries. This will only hurt a lot."

—

Reever and the other scientist were hard at wok when they heard a piercing scream echo through the halls, making them all shudder. "I hate that sound…" Reever commented.

—

Neru turned and looked around, sitting on her bed. "What was that sound?"

"Probably Komui torturing your friend." The nurse explained, making Neru sweatdrop. "Alright, let's remove your bandages and check your wounds."

"I already told you! I'm fine!" Neru protested, batting away the nurse's arms with her cheeks puffed out. The nurse glared at her.

"If you're fine, then prove it." She started removing the bandages. "Besides, I know from experience that you're not alright. No one can be perfectly fine after what you went through from what you told me." Neru glared then turned her head away in annoyance. She heard the nurse gasp and sighed. "Th-that's impossible! You're completely healed! Not even the slightest hint of an injury anywhere on you!"

"I told you." she said, not looking at her. "I'm fine."

"But how?! No one can heal this fast!"

"Well I can!"

"How!?"

"I don't know!" Neru snapped at the nurse. "It's been like this for as long as I can remember! I'm a fast healer, alright!? Now let me go to Allen!" The nurse looked at her in disbelief, then narrowed her eyes, before giving up with a sigh.

"Alright, fine. You check out. Now follow me." She helped Neru off her bed and brought her to where Komui was working with Allen's arm. The nurse knocked on the door, getting Komui to look away for a moment before resuming his work.

"Lenalee, could you be a dear and get that for me?"

"Sure." She nodded, walking over to the door and opening it. "Hm? What is it?"

"She doesn't seem to have any injuries and is just fine. She requested to see Allen, so I brought her here." The nurse explained as Neru ran over to Allen and comforted him while he was in pain. She frowned before leaning over into Lenalee's ear and whispering to her. "This girl makes no sense. I was told of how she received injuries the few days before she came here and what happened at the Gate. There's no possible way she could have been perfectly healed within that time span. There should at least be a bruise where her back or hell, even her head was hit. But it's flawless."

Lenalee frowned. "It could be Innocence… but I'll make sure to talk to Hevlaska about it when she reviews them." she whispered back. The nurse nodded and left. Komui turned off his instruments and put them back.

"There we are! Good as new!" He smiled at the two in front of him before being pulled away by Lenalee. "Hm?" She relayed the message from the nurse to him and he nodded, his face turning serious for a moment before returning to his smiley-face. "Alright you two, let's get Allen's arm in a sling and follow me!" He stated, holding a hand in the air.

—

Komui, Allen, and Neru walked onto a platform. Komui put his hand on a glowing white panel and they slowly descended. "Your arm is fixed, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the anesthesia to wear off. So don't use it." Komui warmed a sulking-in-pain Allen.

"I'll never break my arm again…" Allen whimpered, but was drowned out by Neru, who was running around like a child.

"This is so cool!" She exclaimed before racing to one of the edges and looking around, gripping the railing.

"Careful, Neru. Don't want you to fall, you know." Komui warned. The area suddenly turned pitch black.

"Oh?" Neru blinked in confusion, looking around.

They came to a stop, and five lights appeared, shining on five Generals. "These are the Five Generals… these people are the ones we answer to. Now, show them how good you are to our cause." Komui looked at Allen.

Allen's eyes suddenly went wide when he saw a large claw from the corner of his eye. He turned quickly and saw a large, light blue creature. The creature moved multiple claws to Allen and lifted him off the platform as he yelled in surprise.

"Allen!" Neru's eyes widened and she jumped to catch him, but he was too high up. Komui placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her jumping. She frowned and looked up to see Allen struggling for a moment before coming face to face with the creature, his Innocence hand gripped firmly.

"Show… me… your Innocence…" It said, before touching the green cross on his hand. Allen grunted in pain and he looked at it.

"Che… What are you doing?!" He growled as yellow sparks shot out from his arm as he tried to activate it.

"It's no use. You can;t activate until the anesthesia wears off." Komui stated, making Allen turn to him in disbelief. "So what do you think, Hevlaska? Does this Apostle of God meet your level of standards?" Neru wanted to hurt Komui. How can he be so oblivious to Allen?! She turned to Hevlaska, gripping her shirt tightly.

Allen shut his eyes tightly. _What are they doing to me?!_ He thought to himself as he felt the claws wrap around him more. _It feels weird… like someone's poking around inside my head…_ He glanced at Komui, who was waving, and a scared-looking Neru, then to his arm. _Come on… activate!_ the arm shook. He growled and yelled. "Just do it!" His arm exploded in light before showing a deformed, destroyed version of his silver claw. It was torn to shreds and had red sticking out of it. He stared at it in shock before a wave of intense pain shot through him.

"Relax. I am not your enemy." Hevlaska stated before she gently placed her forehead on Allen's. Her tentacle touched Allen's destroyed hand, and restored it back to it's more human state. She lowered him down, then turned to Neru who had shocked and innocent eyes. She reached toward the frightened girl and picked her up as well. However, she was calmer, though inside she was freaking out. Neru took a large gulp and shut her eyes, tensing up as Hevlaska searched her for innocence. "Strange… I sense Innocence within you… However, I cannot find the exact location… almost as if you yourself were Innocence." Neru shut her eyes tighter as she continued searching. Allen and Komui watched silently, frowning, confused as to Hevlaska's statement. They suddenly jumped when they heard Neru screaming bloody murder. Hevlaska moved back slightly, but did not let go. "Almost… there…" Neru's screams got louder and more agonizing, and Allen ran to the edge near the large creature.

"Stop it! You're hurting her!" He yelled at Hevlaska. She looked at him, then at the girl. Suddenly, her green bangs started glowing. Allen's eyes widened as he remembered what happened at the church. A sphere slowly started to form before expanding and pushing Hevlaska back forcefully, as well as Allen and Komui. Hevlaska tried to stay near her, but was pulled back, letting go of Neru. "NERU!" Allen ran to the edge and grabbed Neru's wrist before she fell completely. He pulled her back onto the platform and held her close. "Neru? Neru wake up!" He started panicking, and turned to Hevlaska. "What did you do?!"

Hevlaska frowned. "I am sorry… I kept trying… to find her Innocence." She looked at the unconscious girl. "I seems… I dug deeper than I intended to." She looked at Allen, then at Komui. "I can safely say… that these two have surpassed my expectations."

"Hey… So what exactly can you learn through my Innocence?" Allen asked to her.

"Allen Walker… In the future when darkness dominates this planet, your Innocence will produce an extraordinary destroyer of time."

"Of time…? Destroyer…?" Allen asked. Then frowned. "What about Neru's?"

"I could not get anything from Neru's Innocence. The only thing I seemed to get out of it was not her future… but of her past."

"Her past…? What about it?"

"Neru Akamura… When she was four years old, her father passed away. Exactly three days later, the Millennium Earl came to her mother and had her revive her father. She bore witness to everything that happened that day." Allen's eyes widened and he looked at Neru.

"So… she knew her mother was…?"

"Yes. Although, that was all I could get from her." Hevlaska frowned and disappeared. Allen heard clapping and turned to Komui.

"I have no idea what the means but it sounds amazing! Hevlaska's prophecies are cryptic but they are true." He shrugged. "Congrats kid! Now we can actually trust the both of you!" He raised his clipboard quickly to dodge Allen's fist, which in turn bent the clipboard.

"Mind putting that down so I can hit you?" Allen asked, a big tick mark on his head.

"Settle down, it's our policy. An involuntary Innocence check is required!" Allen pointed at him in anger.

"THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING I'D HAVE LIKE TO HAVE BEEN TOLD WHEN I FIRST WALKED IN!"

—

"Ngh…" Neru opened her eyes slightly, wincing at the light, and looked around. She was back at the infirmary. "When did I get here?" She slowly sat up, rubbing her eye tiredly. "What happened…?"

"You blacked out after Hevlaska looked at you." She quickly spun her head (bad idea) to look at Komui and Allen, before a wave of nausea hit her and she fell back.

"Owwww…" She whined, covering her eyes.

"Anyway, Allen, Neru…" The two in question looked at him. "We are glad to let you into the Black Order. I apologize for scaring you like that, Neru."

"I forgive you… I'm fine, anyway…" Allen raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

"Good. well then, welcome to the Black Order. Just letting you know right now, the pay is awful." Komui warned, holding his hands out to both of them, and they shook, smile on their faces.

"Thanks!" They said.


End file.
